A BRIEF HISTORY.The subjects of this kit are the Bulleid 'West Country' and 'Battle of Britain' Light Pacifics of the Southern Railway in their original form. All were built at Brighton works, except numbers 34095/7/9/101/2/4 which were built at Eastleigh works. Between June 1957 and May 1961 sixty of the one hundred and ten locomotives were rebuilt into a more conventional form. The rebuilt locomotives we hope to cover in a future kit.

If there is a definitive reference for a detailed history of these locomotives it is The Book of the West Country and Battle of Britain Pacifics by Richard Derry and published by IrwelI Press.

VARIATIONS POSSIBLE WITH THE KITCabs. The original cabs were 8' 6" wide with a flat front, visors over the lookout windows and two sliding windows at the side. Starting with 34064 the cab was changed to a V fronted design. From 34066 three sliding windows were fitted and this became the standard layout and in course of time was applied to 34001 to 34065. The last to receive the 'V' fronted cab was 34015. The last locomotives (34071-34110) were built with 9'0" wide V' fronted cabs.

Cab light ventilators. The cab roof had two small ventilators, for the interior lights, behind the main ventilator. Photographs suggest they were later removed from some locomotives.

Plate on smoke box front. A cover plate was fitted to the front of the smoke box below the door. The original plate was replaced with a larger plate circa 1953-54.

Straps over cab roof ventilator. Two straps were fitted across the cab roof ventilator to some/all? of the locomotives from circa 1955.

Roof doors over whistle and manifold valves. The original hinged doors were subsequently replaced by new sliding doors.

Slide bar bracket. The original design of slide bar bracket had the lubricator mounted transversely. This was moved to a position on the outside face. Later, a new design of slide bar bracket was introduced.

Slide bar dust covers. Most locomotives were fitted with dust covers from June 1948. They were subsequently removed.

Coupling rods. Some locomotives had the coupling rod knuckle-pin joints ahead of the crankpins on the driving wheels.

Chimney fairing and lipped chimney. The first 30 engines were built with a fairing behind the chimney. Numbers 34031 - 34045 were built without the chimney fairing but with a lipped chimney. The fairings were removed from the first 30 engines around 1948. The remaining locomotives were also built without the fairings but, confusingly, the fairings seem to have reappeared on most or all of the locomotives by 1952 - 54. Ash pans. The first hundred locomotives had no dampers. In 1952 three locomotives had their ash pans replaced with a design based upon those fitted to BR standard classes. The last ten locomotives had a modified version of the original design, with dampers, which the kit does not provide. This design proved unsatisfactory and from circa 1956, new ash pans of the BR type were fitted to 34101 - 34110.

Safety valves. All the locomotives were built with three safety valves sited forward of the dome. From 1953 the safety valves were reduced to two and re-sited rear of the dome in a hexagonal tray.

Sanding. Numbers 34091-34110 were built without sanding to the leading coupled wheels. The leading sand pipes and the sliding covers over the fillers were removed from the first 90 engines circa. 1952-54.

Rail cleaner. All the locomotives were built with a steam rail cleaner that operated with the steam sanding. The locomotives fitted with the BR type ash pan had this removed and many of those fitted with the original design of ash pan also had the rail cleaner removed.

Steps to front platform. Numbers 34001-34070 were built with two wide steps to the front platform. From 34071 the locomotives were built with steps which were 1/4" narrower. Inexplicably the earlier locomotives appear to have then been rebuilt with the narrower steps!

Panel in front of cylinders. The panel in front of the cylinders was removed circa 1951-53.

Brake tie rods. From an unknown date the rear brake tie rod was removed. For a time the existing pull rods continued to be used but on some locomotives new pull rods without the tie rod hole were fitted.

Smoke deflectors. Numbers 34001-34057 were built with short smoke deflectors supported with three stays from the roof ladder. From 1/1947 they began to be replaced with new 'standard' length deflectors supported with five stays. Locomotives from 34058 were built with the standard length deflectors. From 3-11-1947 an extra stay was fitted at the top front corner of the deflector plates.

Sliding covers over forward washout plugs. Some locomotives were fitted with sliding doors over the forward washout plugs.

Speedometers. A Smith-Stone speedometer was fitted in 1959/60 to all locomotives.

VARIATIONS NOT POSSIBLE WITH THE KITATC/AWS. From May 1959 Automatic Train Control (ATC) was fitted, later designated Advanced Warning System (AWS), evidence being displayed by the battery box below the smoke box door. A separate kit for the AWS, including the battery box and shield, bogie modifications and cab fittings is available. Cabs. For a short time 34064/65 ran with a 'V' fronted cab and two sliding windows at the side. Standard three window layouts were fitted to 34064 in 6/1948 and 34065 in 3/1949.

Smoke deflectors. 34005/6/7 were fitted with extra long smoke deflectors in April 1948. Over the years there were numerous other experimental smoke deflector variations.

Sandbox filler doors. The last 18 locomotives had a different (circular) design of filler door when built. These proved unsatisfactory and were replaced, by late 1953, with the sliding type.

Bogie axles. The first thirty locomotives were built with hollow bogie axles.

Safety valves. For a short period from 1952, some locomotives had the rear most of the three safety valves removed and the whistle moved forward to occupy the space and mounted transversely. The safety valves and whistle were exposed in a long tray some 6' 6" in length. This is shown in some of the reference books. Crossheads. From circa 1961, 34038/61/84/86/92/102 received new pattern crossheads to the same design as that fitted to the rebuilt locomotives.

TENDERS The first seventy locomotives were built with 8' 6" wide tenders of 4500 gallon capacity. The remaining forty 9' 0" wide locomotives were paired with matching 9' 0" wide tenders of 5500 gallon capacity. Most, if not all, of the 9'0" tenders were transferred to the rebuilt locomotives, the remaining unrebuilt locos from the last 40 receiving 8'6" wide tenders. Just as with the locomotives, tender modifications and changes were not uncommon. Further details will be found in the instructions of the tender kits.